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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. chip — for betting
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. land — to come down
  6. drill — army training
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. craft — boats
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chip — to eat
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bowl — a football final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com